The delivery of therapeutics to a target site in the body of a patient is a task that finds innumerable applications in the practice of modem medicine. In some applications the therapeutic may be delivered through a needle and syringe while in others the therapeutic may be delivered though a pump and catheter system. In either of these configurations, as with the many other plausible configurations, the objective is to deliver active therapeutic to a target site such that the therapeutic may cure the infirmities resident at the target site. For some perishable, sensitive or volatile therapeutics, such as certain viruses employed today, a compatibility issue can arise between the therapeutic and the channel or vessel that will transport the therapeutic from its storage vessel to its target site. When compatibility issues do arise between the therapeutic and its surroundings, the therapeutic may lose some or all of its effectiveness and may, upon its arrival at the target site, be partially or completely inert. In certain applications, the therapeutic may lose its effectiveness moments before it is delivered as it passes down and through the delivery lumen of the delivery device simply because the therapeutic has come in contact with a non-compatible material.
Therefore, the environment in which the therapeutic is stored as well as the environment in which the therapeutic must travel can and does affect the potency and effectiveness of certain perishable therapeutics. In order to avoid the risk of deterioration of the potency of perishable therapeutics it is, consequently, advantageous to minimize or eliminate the contact between non-compatible materials and the therapeutic during the delivery of the therapeutic to the target site.